Comparison of Lower Frequency Adjustments and CPU Throttling
Comparison of Lower Frequency Adjustments and CPU Throttling
Hi guys,
I own an i7-4980HQ in my laptop that was expected to run between 4.0GHZ and 3.8GHZ on turbo (1 core to 4 cores). However, during stress testing with Intel XTU, I found it consistently caps at 3.5-3.6GHZ on all four cores instead of the 3.8GHZ claimed. This happens because Power Throttling and setting the TDP to reach 3.8GHZ causes excessive heat.
My question is: for regular gaming, should I keep the CPU in turbo mode, constantly jumping between 2.8GHZ and 4GHZ, or should I lower it to around 3.4GHZ on all four cores with a steady setting? Which approach gives better performance? Does the throttling actually impact gameplay?
You might consider applying throttle stops and reducing voltage slightly to achieve cooler temperatures, enabling faster speeds without throttling. The choice between single high-speed core throttling and multiple cores at a steady lower speed depends on the game's design. Some titles require a very fast single-threaded performance, while others benefit from multiple cores operating at a more consistent speed. Stress testing typically places greater demands on CPU cores than a game will handle, so throttling may not occur during play. It’s advisable to use a monitoring tool such as AIDIA 64 to track your CPU usage.
You might consider using throttle stop and reducing voltage slightly to achieve cooler temperatures, which could enable higher speeds without throttling. When deciding between single high-speed core throttling versus multiple cores at a steady lower speed, the answer hinges on the game's design. Some titles require a fast single-threaded performance, while others benefit from multiple threads operating at a more consistent pace. Stress testing typically places greater demands on CPU cores than a game will handle, so throttling might not occur during play. It’s advisable to use a monitoring tool such as AIDIA 64 to check for CPU throttling while gaming.
You might consider applying throttle stops and reducing voltage a bit to achieve cooler temperatures, which could enable faster speeds without throttling. Regarding your question about single high-speed core throttling versus multiple cores at a steady lower speed, the optimal choice depends on the game's design. Some titles require a very fast single-threaded performance, while others benefit from multiple cores running at a slightly slower but more stable pace. Stress testing typically places a greater demand on CPU cores than the game itself, so throttling might not occur during play. It’s advisable to use a monitoring tool like AIDIA 64 to check if your CPU throttles while gaming. Thank you for your response, Utroz. I mainly play WoW and D3... During games, throttle is less noticeable as you mentioned, but I still prefer avoiding constant CPU throttling. I managed to keep my CPU at 3-4 on 4 cores yesterday without any throttling, even though I wasn’t sure what was best.
You might want to experiment with throttle stops and adjusting the voltage to achieve cooler temperatures, which could help maintain higher speeds without overthrottling. The choice between single high-speed core throttling or multiple cores at a steady lower speed really depends on the game's design. Some titles require a fast single-threaded performance, while others benefit from using several cores at a slightly reduced but consistent speed. Stress testing typically places a greater demand on CPU cores than the game itself, so throttling might not occur during play. Consider using a monitoring tool like AIDIA 64 to check if your CPU throttles while gaming.
Thank you for your response, Utroz. I mainly play WoW and D3. During games, throttle is less noticeable as you mentioned, but I still prefer avoiding CPU throttling. I managed to keep my laptop's CPU temperature stable at 3-4 on 4 cores without any throttling yesterday, even though I wasn't sure what was best.
I'm glad I could assist. Please try throttle stops—I was able to reduce my laptop's CPU temps by 8°C and it also ran faster with higher turbo speeds. My maximum CPU voltage dropped from 1.25V to 1.1V, and everything passed stress tests. If you lower the voltage too much, your computer might crash or restart. With throttle stops, you need to open the program and turn on the settings manually to prevent Windows from freezing in a loop due to low voltage. There are many useful options to fine-tune your CPU for optimal performance.